salt in the air
by WhisperedSilvers
Summary: Because in the end, they were just a bunch of kids trying to have fun. Téa-centric. Slight Yami/Téa.


**Salt in the Air**

 **By: WhisperedSilvers**

 **Prompt: Turquoise seas and ocean breezes.**

 **Summary: Because in the end, they were just a bunch of kids trying to have fun. Téa-centric.**

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Shades. Shades of cool, that's what her sunglasses seemed to look like. Blue tinted with aqua colored highlights in a thin, silver, metal frame. Téa loved the sea. Refreshing didn't seem like a good enough word. If she should set foot in the ocean, she felt as if she could melt in the warm water, a sense of tranquility slipped over her skin in a warm embrace.

It seemed like she was always drawn back into the sea when things seemed to get chaotic. With they grainy flecks of sand that pecked her feet when walking, the sweet burn of the gravel that scalded the soles of her feet, the sun that tinted her cheeks in a warm flush, and she felt herself glow under the ocean breeze.

A sharp pang against the back of her neck had her lose balance; she slipped forward under the pressure of the object, said object floated to the ground with abhorring grace.

"Sorry about that Téa, you okay?" That was Joey who yelled from ten feet away, flickering cobalt orbs to the object—volleyball.

The irate female grabbed the white ball and glared at the cause of her pain.

Joey laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, and Tristan slapped his forehead in a deadpanned manner.

"Do I _look_ okay?"

The blonde looked at her and when he opened his mouth, "Well, you look—"

Tristan promptly closed Joey's mouth before they could get them in any more trouble. He hissed to the blonde, his dark orbs narrowing in warning, "Don't say _anything_."

A muffled response came from his closed over hand.

Yugi came running over, wide purple orbs stared at the red bruise on the back of her neck, and "Maybe you should sit down, Téa."

Téa waved it off, "I'm fine."

 _Those bumbling idiots won't be._

Is what she really wanted to say.

So she settled for something better, "Boys, you want to play a game?"

Yugi's eyes twinkled; a flash of crimson came like lightening before it disappeared, he repeated, "A game?"

The brunette's smile was sharp, innocent even—it was a _nice_ smile. "How about a friendly game of volleyball."

Joey and Tristan would have agreed whole-heartedly, but her smile was too harsh, and her body language screamed for them to run. The aura she was emitting was dark and suffocating, like smoke curling from hell itself. They looked at each other wearily.

Yugi oblivious to it all, smiled, "Why not? I mean we have the net set up already, plus I think the Pharaoh would have more fun with this anyway—"

Téa wasn't buying that, she placed her hands on her hip, the volleyball tucked under her arm, resting on the curve of her waist, "And why is that Yugi?"

Nervously, he chuckled, "Well, I'm not exactly tall enough to reach the net and he doesn't know _how_ to play volleyball—I think this would be a good learning experience."

Joey 'coughed' loudly, "He can't spike the ball properly."

The brunette knew that Yugi was trying to get out of playing the game while having his partner play for him, but she knew Yugi—he wasn't exactly the _best_ at games that involved physical activity, "You sound like his mother, Yugi."

She ignored his sputter and continued, "Alright, I'll teach the Pharaoh—but I want you to pay attention, do you understand young man?"

Her tone was teasing and her eyes were twinkling, so dryly the smaller boy replied, "Yes mom."

Téa scowled playfully.

Amethyst orbs brightened, quick like lightening, orbs colored into a wine-red, with flecks of gold that glittered under the sunlight, with the silver in the ocean that twinkled like stars that reflected off of his skin—she swallowed.

Unlike Yugi, the Pharaoh was muscular and she needed to stop looking—right _now._

But she couldn't get the image of hard pectorals, broad shoulders, muscular arms and washboard abs out of her head—her eyes flickered to the ocean—she wondered if death by drowning would be the way to go.

Nodding to herself, she flickered her eyes back to the idiot duo, fingers pointing to both of her idiots, she smiled, "Alright across the net, I'm going to teach the Pharaoh to play—give me fifteen minutes."

It was Tristan who scoffed, "You think you can teach the Pharaoh to play volleyball in fifteen minutes?"

"Yugi wasn't the King of Games for nothing."

That effectively shut him up. She smiled that smile again and motioned for them to leave. Téa turned back to her partner and she was startled at that thought. _Her partner_. It was new of course, she liked it—yeah, she liked it.

She felt slightly self-conscious, she wasn't exposing much skin as she did the last time she wore a swimsuit—that was humiliating! She blamed her newly budding hormones, thank the Gods she finally roped those pesky emotions of hers. A simple loose cotton white shorts and a black bikini top that tied around her neck.

Simple.

That's what life should have been, but of course, her life was anything _but_ simple—

"Téa?" The Pharaoh's deep voice brought her out of her thoughts; he looked at her patiently and expectantly.

"Sorry," She interjected quickly; she shook her head, "Just thinking of how to explain this to you."

Of course it was lie, but he didn't need to know just _what_ was going through her mind.

"Okay," Téa nodded to herself more than to him, she positioned her feet, a stance, and her knees soft, into a slight squat, but more a bend of the knees, "This is called a bump. You cup your hands like this, don't interlock your fingers—it will hurt. Keep your thumbs parallel. Like this." Her fists were pressed together, her thumbs up and parallel, "Make sure to keep your knees slightly bent, the boys don't know this, but if you don't keep the joints in your knees soft, it can damage your calf muscles."

The Pharaoh blinked at the instructions, the slightest tips and the hints. He mirrored her stance, she crouched and moved his feet parallel, explaining to him how move with his knees like this and like that.

"Okay, let's try it with the ball now." She lifted the ball and bounced the ball in her hands and motioned it towards her partner, "That's right," He moved it back towards her, "Good, that's really good."

"You use this move when you can get over the net, this is a one person move, you can't double-hit. Meaning you can't hit the ball more than once in a row, however this move will allow you partner to spike it across." The brunette placed her hands up and threw the ball up; her fingertips had the ball bouncing with less force. "The weight of the ball and the cushion against your fingers, should elevate the ball without using any energy."

It was a little tricky, but Yami managed to set the ball with his fingers, he stopped abruptly and questioned, "The spike?"

Téa smiled even though it seemed more like a smirk, "It's not a learned skill, you have to observe to acquire that skill. I can't teach you it. Just leave the spiking to me, okay?"

He nodded; dark lashes brushed his cheek, burgundy orbs focused on the female in front of him, his tone was curious when he inquired, "Where did you learn to play volleyball, Téa? It seems like you are educated in more than the basic skills."

She pretended that, that comment wasn't insulting. He was blunt, yes, curious even, but he didn't mean it maliciously, so she wouldn't hold it against him. She wasn't useless, she knew how to play some games—what bothered her was where this game originated from and where she learned to play it.

"My father taught me," Sapphire orbs seemed hazy, almost lost, but she didn't want the Pharaoh to see her vulnerable expression, so she turned her eyes toward the net, "It was a long time ago."

It seemed like he brought a sensitive subject, Yami tired to ease her way into it, gently, he replied, "I assume he was very good in this game."

She laughed, bitterly, "Yeah, he was pretty good."

It was times like this that the Pharaoh and Yugi knew very little about their female friend. It was true that her and the smaller boy were childhood friends. He knew that her father did business overseas, her mother divorced her father long ago and she had been living with her aunt until, she was old enough to live by herself.

For the sake of her friends, Téa would put a smile on her face—her troubles were nothing as long as her boys were okay.

She was selfless like that.

Yami admired her hope and her courage—her strong personality.

He hoped that one day that he would acquire some traits that she had, his friends made him a better person and in return a better king.

"Anyway, one last thing. Serving." She shook her head, her fist swinging underneath the ball as she moved her legs into a front lunge, "You could always do it underhand of you could throw it up and hit it. That's really it."

He nodded. "Positioning?"

"I want you in the front," She commanded and Yami was taken aback at her calculating tone, it was analytical, confident and he mused—he never heard her speak like that. "Just remember the tricks I taught you and you should be fine. I'm going to serve, after a certain number of points we switch and you are in the back."

Téa threw her shoulders back, "Joey, Tristan—ready to have your ass handed to you?"

Cheeky little thing she was.

"Please Téa, don't flatter yourself." Tristan laughed, positioning himself in the back, Joey close to the net.

She snorted, looking over to the Pharaoh, "Ready?"

He nodded, his eyes lit.

Téa threw the ball in the air, the butt of her palm slammed against the ball, the ball cut threw the air like a knife, Joey bumped the ball and Yami's reflexes set in.

Set.

He actually set the ball.

Téa came running, sand burning against the soles of her foot, she jumped in the air, her fist tightened and she slammed her knuckles into the ball—

The Pharaoh could see the muscles in her abdominals crunch when her fist met the ball.

—The ball went flying into Joey's stomach, groaning, he stumbled back a few feet—she laughed.

Téa laughed and it sounded like bells—pleasant.

She winked at the Pharaoh, "That was a spike, think you can keep up?"

He smirked and the breath caught in her throat, "Of course I can, _partner_."

Téa had to hide her grin. The sun shone brightly, like gold reflecting off of her skin, shades of blue—with the breeze caressing her warmed skin and aqua tones highlighting her hair from the sea—brightly. Bright—light like air—peaceful, she laughed.

Good. Today was good. So, _so good—_

The game went on for hours—

"Pharaoh, game-point!" Téa set the ball and Yami ran towards it and spiked it across the net, Tristan didn't move fast enough, even sliding across, he missed by mere centimeters.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, beaming, her hand met the Pharaoh in a high-five, he was grinning too—good, and the world was so _good!_

 _Was this how it felt to be a part of something?_

"We win!" The brunette laughed at nothing in particular and she stuck out her tongue at her opponents, "You suck."

"Téa," Yami chastised, his eyes were in mock disapproval, "They don't suck," His eyes glinted mischievously, "They're just unskilled."

Joey mock scowled, "That hurts man, right in the heart."

He chuckled along with Téa.

The sun had set, with red threading along the sky, she flopped onto the sand, warm honey-colored light bathed the ocean, her back rested against the grainy texture, the clouds were cotton and the ocean was darker—cobalt now.

"Thank you for teaching me how to play Téa," Yami suddenly said and she looked at him.

"Don't mention it Pharaoh," Téa brushed off his gratitude, "Today was good wasn't it?"

He stared at her longer than deemed necessary; burgundy orbs warmer than the sun itself, the slight quirking of his lips had her wanting the smile too. He patted her hair and she was slightly bewildered at the sudden extra weight.

"Good. It was good."

She smiled into the salt air, when she felt that warm breeze caress her skin.

 _—_ _Happy. She was happy._

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 **I don't know. Really.**

 _Please Review!_


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